New Delhi: India has revoked 105 Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards in the past three years, under section 7D of the Citizenship Act 1955, junior foreign minister Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
“OCI card is in itself a lifelong visa and therefore no separate Indian visa is required to be issued to OCI cardholders. During the last 3 years, 105 OCI cards have been revoked under Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955,” said Singh in response to a question submitted by Pratima Mondal, Trinamool Congress MP from Jaynagar, West Bengal.
Section 7D of the Citizenship Act allows the government to cancel OCI cards for reasons including registration of the card by fraudulent means, shown disaffection with the Constitution of India, assisting an enemy at war, being sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, and if the marriage of the OCI card holder has been dissolved by law.
“OCI cardholders are foreign nationals who enjoy certain benefits when they visit India. The benefits/rights of OCI cardholders in India are subject to Para 7B of the Citizenship Act 1955,” explained Singh in his response to the question.
The minister of state added: “Since OCI cards are life-long visas that are issued to foreign nationals, their nationality need not be re-categorised by Indian authorities.”
In January 2024, a French journalist and OCI card holder was accused by the Ministry of Home Affairs of “malicious” reporting in violation of visa rules and received a notice asking why her OCI card should not be cancelled, as reported by ThePrint.
The journalist, Vanessa Dougnac, had been in India for over two decades while working for various French publications including La Croix, Le Point, Le Temps and Le Soir. She left in February 2024. The French government had raised her case with New Delhi during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the country as chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year.
A second French journalist, Sébastien Farcis, who also has an OCI card, was refused an extension of work visa in March 2024. Farcis left India in June as he was unable to work in the country after living in India for 13 years.
Foreign correspondents working in India told ThePrint that those with OCI cards were facing “increased pressure” from the government with regards to their coverage.
In 2019, the government amended the OCI rules, making it imperative for a cardholder to apply for a special permit to report from India. Previously, OCI cardholders were barred from purchasing agricultural lands, voting in Indian elections and contesting as candid
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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